The SMN complex drives structural changes in human snRNAs to enable snRNP assembly

Josef Pánek (), Adriana Roithová, Nenad Radivojević, Michal Sýkora, Archana Bairavasundaram Prusty, Nicholas Huston, Han Wan, Anna Marie Pyle, Utz Fischer and David Staněk ()
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Josef Pánek: Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences
Adriana Roithová: Czech Academy of Sciences
Nenad Radivojević: Czech Academy of Sciences
Michal Sýkora: Czech Academy of Sciences
Archana Bairavasundaram Prusty: University of Würzburg
Nicholas Huston: Yale University
Han Wan: Yale University
Anna Marie Pyle: Yale University
Utz Fischer: University of Würzburg
David Staněk: Czech Academy of Sciences

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-18

Abstract: Abstract Spliceosomal snRNPs are multicomponent particles that undergo a complex maturation pathway. Human Sm-class snRNAs are generated as 3′-end extended precursors, which are exported to the cytoplasm and assembled together with Sm proteins into core RNPs by the SMN complex. Here, we provide evidence that these pre-snRNA substrates contain compact, evolutionarily conserved secondary structures that overlap with the Sm binding site. These structural motifs in pre-snRNAs are predicted to interfere with Sm core assembly. We model structural rearrangements that lead to an open pre-snRNA conformation compatible with Sm protein interaction. The predicted rearrangement pathway is conserved in Metazoa and requires an external factor that initiates snRNA remodeling. We show that the essential helicase Gemin3, which is a component of the SMN complex, is crucial for snRNA structural rearrangements during snRNP maturation. The SMN complex thus facilitates ATP-driven structural changes in snRNAs that expose the Sm site and enable Sm protein binding.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42324-0

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